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Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

Sydney Morning Herald

an hour ago

Sydney Morning Herald

Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

'You have to make sure that you have the stamps from the border police in your passport to be able to prove that you have left the Schengen Area. Afterwards, you are allowed to go back to Germany once for 90 days, but only to Germany.' An information officer representing the government of the Netherlands provided this information: 'The agreement currently allows Australian citizens to apply to the Dutch immigration service (IND) for an extension of their 90-day visa-free period in the Schengen area if they have already spent 90 days or less in another Schengen country or part of 90 days in another Schengen country and part in the Netherlands. 'If the extension is approved by the IND, they can then spend max 90 days in the Netherlands besides the days they have spent in the other Schengen country. So in total, Australian citizens can spend 180 days in the Schengen area: 90 days in one Schengen country and 90 days in the Netherlands. The extension of the IND has to be applied for before their first 90 days in the Schengen area are up. With the application, travellers have to prove that they have already spent (part of) their visa-free period of 90 days in another Schengen country (for example with hotel reservations, transport tickets, receipts).' And according to a Danish government website: 'Citizens of certain countries are entitled to stay in Denmark for 90 days or three months, regardless of stays in other Schengen countries.' Australia is one such country. Which countries still have visa waiver agreements allowing Australian travellers to extend their stay? In addition to the three countries mentioned above, it is likely that the visa waiver agreement still applies for Australian citizens in Austria, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden. Note that the Nordic countries regard themselves as a single bloc for the purposes of the visa waiver agreement. If you spend 30 days in Sweden under the visa waiver, you could spend only a combined maximum of 60 days in Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Can I leave a visa waiver country before my 90 days is up and return later on? Provided the total number of days you stay in that country does not exceed the 90-day limit, you can leave and re-enter. Could I spend 90 days in the Schengen area countries, spend the next 90 days in a European country under the visa waiver agreement and then re-enter the Schengen area for another 90 days? No. For example, if you were to spend 90 days in the Schengen area, then the next 90-day period in The Netherlands under the visa waiver agreement, other Schengen area countries would rightfully say that you have not satisfied the rule requiring you to leave the area after 90 days and to remain outside for the next 90 days. However, it might be possible to stay for 90 days in the Schengen area, followed by 90 days in Germany and 90 days in Denmark under their visa waiver agreements. Loading It sounds complicated. How can I prove where I've been, and how long I've stayed there? Keeping records of your travels is going to be crucial if you want to utilise the visa waiver agreements. According to a representative of the Danish government: 'You have to work out your order of travelling to make the most of it, and it's quite complicated. Since you might not have stamps in your passport as proof of your travels, you need to keep a detailed record. Airline tickets, train and hotel receipts can be used to show when and where you've travelled between countries, and that can provide evidence of your movements to prove you've not overstayed the time you're allowed.'

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Sydney Morning Herald

an hour ago

Sydney Morning Herald

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner said business travel to the US was holding up, but fewer Australians were booking holidays there. 'Certainly compared to the pre-Trump era, everything that we see … is the leisure market in particular is down. There's no doubt that April and May have been down,' Turner said. 'US carriers have increased their capacity [to Australia] over the last six to 12 months, and there's no doubt they'll be suffering a bit. 'There's been cheaper airfares through sales and there will be [more] over the next few months unless things dramatically improve.' More than a million Australians visited the US last year. The country's latest official figures show 291,230 Australians visited the US from January to April, down 0.2 per cent on the same period last year. In April, Australian visitor numbers to the US grew 1 per cent year-on-year to 89,363. Meanwhile, 83,460 Americans arrived in Australia this March, making the US the second-largest source of visitors behind New Zealand. Australia's favourite destinations over the same period were New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. Mitchell said young people most affected by the cost of living were choosing cheaper destinations such as Latin America or Asia, instead. He said the April slump in the Australian dollar sparked by Trump's tariff wars had 'spooked a lot of people' from booking trips to the US. 'The feedback we're getting is the US is an expensive destination to go to, with the service taxes and the tipping. And I think that word of mouth has honestly been getting around for a while now,' Mitchell said. He said even those who could afford to visit the US were cutting back on costs. 'I don't think it's stopping some people from going there, but it probably does change how they travel a bit. They might not go for 2½, three weeks; they might go for two weeks. They might not go five-star, they might go four-star or three-star,' he said. Qantas, which operates about 40 return flights a week between Australia and the US, said demand for US travel was holding up locally. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson recently said the airline was feeling optimistic about demand for the US, and 'business-purpose travel and business travel in premium cabins remains strong'. The airline said this year's sale for flights to the US had outperformed similar sales last year. Loading Michael Feller, an ex-diplomat and foreign policy adviser, said the second Trump presidency had caused enormous damage to US soft power and prestige. But he said it was difficult to trace that into consumer behaviour beyond unique cases like Canada. 'Boycotts are really tricky,' said Feller, who is now chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy, which provides advice to companies around the world. 'US products are ubiquitous. And when you consume a quintessential US product like Coke, it's manufactured and bottled in Australia. And then there are other quintessential products like iPhones, which are manufactured and assembled in China. So, it's hard to disentangle 'Brand US'.' Despite gloom over Trump's trade wars, Feller said there were two silver linings for Australia. Loading 'The Australian consumer will probably benefit from Trump's trade wars insofar as cheap Chinese goods will be dumped on our shores, leading to lower costs,' he said. 'And if Trump cracks down on international students, those students will presumably look to a country like ours to study.'

The Age

an hour ago

The Age

Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

'You have to make sure that you have the stamps from the border police in your passport to be able to prove that you have left the Schengen Area. Afterwards, you are allowed to go back to Germany once for 90 days, but only to Germany.' An information officer representing the government of the Netherlands provided this information: 'The agreement currently allows Australian citizens to apply to the Dutch immigration service (IND) for an extension of their 90-day visa-free period in the Schengen area if they have already spent 90 days or less in another Schengen country or part of 90 days in another Schengen country and part in the Netherlands. 'If the extension is approved by the IND, they can then spend max 90 days in the Netherlands besides the days they have spent in the other Schengen country. So in total, Australian citizens can spend 180 days in the Schengen area: 90 days in one Schengen country and 90 days in the Netherlands. The extension of the IND has to be applied for before their first 90 days in the Schengen area are up. With the application, travellers have to prove that they have already spent (part of) their visa-free period of 90 days in another Schengen country (for example with hotel reservations, transport tickets, receipts).' And according to a Danish government website: 'Citizens of certain countries are entitled to stay in Denmark for 90 days or three months, regardless of stays in other Schengen countries.' Australia is one such country. Which countries still have visa waiver agreements allowing Australian travellers to extend their stay? In addition to the three countries mentioned above, it is likely that the visa waiver agreement still applies for Australian citizens in Austria, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden. Note that the Nordic countries regard themselves as a single bloc for the purposes of the visa waiver agreement. If you spend 30 days in Sweden under the visa waiver, you could spend only a combined maximum of 60 days in Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Can I leave a visa waiver country before my 90 days is up and return later on? Provided the total number of days you stay in that country does not exceed the 90-day limit, you can leave and re-enter. Could I spend 90 days in the Schengen area countries, spend the next 90 days in a European country under the visa waiver agreement and then re-enter the Schengen area for another 90 days? No. For example, if you were to spend 90 days in the Schengen area, then the next 90-day period in The Netherlands under the visa waiver agreement, other Schengen area countries would rightfully say that you have not satisfied the rule requiring you to leave the area after 90 days and to remain outside for the next 90 days. However, it might be possible to stay for 90 days in the Schengen area, followed by 90 days in Germany and 90 days in Denmark under their visa waiver agreements. Loading It sounds complicated. How can I prove where I've been, and how long I've stayed there? Keeping records of your travels is going to be crucial if you want to utilise the visa waiver agreements. According to a representative of the Danish government: 'You have to work out your order of travelling to make the most of it, and it's quite complicated. Since you might not have stamps in your passport as proof of your travels, you need to keep a detailed record. Airline tickets, train and hotel receipts can be used to show when and where you've travelled between countries, and that can provide evidence of your movements to prove you've not overstayed the time you're allowed.'

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Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

Exploring the rugged Australian Outback

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Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here's how

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